Chapter 12: The Thrill of the Hunt

N-Tek was out in the Arctic investigating an alien craft that crashed there. "Whoa. Is that what I think it is?" Max asked as he and his team walked up to the craft. "Yes. It's an alien craft. And it's quite similar to the one that Water Elementor was trying to build." Steel said. "But how long has it been here?" Wandella asked. "And where did it come from?" Zad asked. "We're looking for answers. You lot wanted to be in the fold. Well, now you are. We need your help." Forge said as he, Kat and Jefferson walked up. "And what do you need us for, Commander Ferrus?" Rayne asked. "To get inside. But there's one little hitch." Forge said. He picked up a rock and threw it at the craft, but it was blocked by a ray shield, covering the entire craft. "Nasty. That ray shield looks like a major state-of-the-art alien security system." Max said. "So, how are we gonna bust it open?" Alex asked, ready to go ape. "You don't. We need Steel to go in and shut it down." Forge said. "Me?! What am I, your bio-mech guinea pig?!" Steel exclaimed in shock. "We analyzed the force field, and we believe your particular atomic structure can withstand it without significant damage." Kat said, showing the data on her pad. "Significant damage?" Steel asked in shock and suspicion. Kat shrugged sheepishly.

"Can I see that?" Max asked. Kat handed the pad to him and he ran through the data. "She's right, Steel. You're the only one who can pass through that shield without getting any serious damage." He said. Steel, deciding to go for it, flew up to the shield. He touched it, receiving a bit of a shock. "Uh huh." He muttered. He flew into the force field, struggling to make it through the shock. And as he made it, he checked himself for any damage and spotted nothing, much to his relief. "Well, what're you waiting for? Keep going." Forge ordered. "Sheesh. Thank yous are free, you know!" Steel exclaimed before continuing. Unknown to them, someone was watching them from afar.

As Steel entered the ship, he looked around at the structure. When he came to what appeared to be a control station, he saw what looked to be some kind of keyhole…shaped like him. When he touched it, he deactivated the shield. "Move on team leader! Use your trackers!" Forge ordered. Max and his team watched as agents moved in with a lot of heavy equipment. The unknown follower watched them as they entered the ship.

As they entered, N-Tek split up, leaving only Max's team. "Let's go find Steel." Max suggested. As they walked off to find Steel, Jefferson activated a scanner on his blaster and picked up a signal. He and his agents followed the signal and discovered what it was, a glowing shell. Meanwhile, Max and his team found Steel in the control station. "I wonder what they hope to find." Steel said. "Who knows. But how'd you know how to disable the force field?" Vandana asked. "I'm not sure. I don't remember being here before, but somehow, it feels…familiar." Steel said. "Well, let's take a look around. Something tells me there's something I need to find within this ship." Max said. The team looked around the entire ship. "This place really gives me the creeps." Alex said. "What you suspect to find in here, Max?" Wandella asked. "Maybe something like…that." Max said, pointing to another station. Inside, there was some kind of computer. Max activated the computer and the team discovered a large amount of information. "Look at all this information." Rayne said.

Meanwhile, Jefferson loaded the shell into a container. "Sir, we've acquired the target objective." He said through his com-link. "Then let's move out. Now!" Forge ordered. N-Tek agents were planting bombs all over the ship. "Max, kids, we've planted bombs all over the ship. It's gonna blow. Get out of there now!" Forge ordered through the com-link. "I can't let this chance pass up. You guys get out of here. I'm gonna download this information to my USB." Max said. As the team headed out, he took out a USB drive and plugged it into the computer, downloading the information. The team met up with N-Tek as they made it out. "Uh, where's Max?" Kat asked as she noticed that Max wasn't with his team. "He's still inside the ship." Steel said. "Oh, Max!" Forge groaned as he and Jefferson ran back inside to get Max.

Meanwhile, Max was still waiting in front of the computer for the download to complete. "Hurry up, hurry up, hurry up. Before the bombs explode." He muttered. And sure enough, the download completed. Max grabbed the USB and rushed out of the station, only to bump into Forge and Jefferson. "Max, let's go!" Forge exclaimed. They led Max out of the ship just in time as the bombs exploded, destroying the entire ship. "Max, are you guys okay?!" Vandana asked as she and the team quickly ran over to them. "Yeah, we're good." Jefferson said as he, Forge and Max got up. "Max, what were you doing in there?" Forge asked. "Nothing, Uncle Ferrus. I was just…getting an interest in the ship's cool tech." Max lied. Forge looked at Max for a while before walking back to the R.O.C.C. tanks.

The unknown watchers, revealed to be 3 men, watched as Jefferson loaded the container with the shell inside one of their R.O.C.C. tanks. "Looks like they got the package, Mr. Winter." One of the men, named Dwayne, said to their leader. "Outstanding. And soon, it'll be ours." The leader, Troy Winter, said as he aimed a rocket launcher at N-Tek.

(Intro)

"Alright, guys, once we get back to base, we'll take a look at that information I managed to download." Max said as he and his team walked toward the convoy. "Excellent. Maybe then, we can get some answers." Steel said. Just then, as they were about to step aboard one of the R.O.C.C. tanks, Forge blocked them. "Sorry. No room for you 9." He said. "Looks like there's plenty of room to me." Max said. "It's a lovely night to practice your flying." Forge said. "But Daddy-" Vandana tried to say, but Forge closed the hatch on them. "So much for being in the fold." Zad groaned as the R.O.C.C. tanks took off, leaving the team behind. "And so much for it being a lovely night." Alex added as he groaned. Max and Steel watched as the R.O.C.C. tanks drove off, knowing that there was something Forge wasn't telling them. "Alright, team, let's fly." Max said. "Go Turbo Flight!" As Steel linked up with him, he morphed into Flight Mode. The Mana Quints levitated, Alex summoned a red hawk image before it disappeared into his body and Rayne summoned a cloud under her feet. "Let's go." Max said as he took off with the team following.

Meanwhile, as the R.O.C.C.s drove off, Troy and his henchmen drove off on their motorcycles and got in front of the convoy to set a trap. "Hit 'em hard and fast, boys." Troy ordered. He pressed a button on his motorcycle and activated a chain of energy tire spikes, deploying them in front of the convoy. "LOOK OUT!" Forge exclaimed. The R.O.C.C.s rolled over the spikes and their tires got destroyed. Troy pressed another button on his wrist and activated 2 more chains of energy spikes, destroying the ice canyon and starting an avalanche, causing the convoy to crash. As Troy and his henchmen drove towards the R.O.C.C.s, the N-Tek agents started firing at them, causing them to turn around. One of the blasts knocked the henchman known as Vin off his bike. The 3 took cover behind one of the downed R.O.C.C.s. "Firing the L-Rad!" Troy exclaimed, firing an energy pulse from his launcher. The energy pulse hit the N-Tek agents, causing them to get knocked out in an instant.

Forge and Jefferson tried to break the hatch open, but it was lodged beside an ice boulder. "Secure the package!" Forge ordered. Kat and the other agent guarded the case as Forge and Jefferson continued trying to break down the hatch. Just then, Troy and his henchmen rode up on their motorcycles. Forge ordered everyone to be silent as Troy climbed onto the R.O.C.C. As they prepared for any sign retaliation, Troy readied his launcher. Dwayne and Vin covered their ears as Troy fired his L-Rad, knocking out everyone inside. "Toss me that can opener." Troy ordered. Dwayne tossed him an energy saw, which he then used to cut through into the R.O.C.C. As he entered the R.O.C.C., Forge started to slowly recover and saw him taking the case. "I got the package." Troy said as he hoisted the case out of the R.O.C.C. "No!" Forge exclaimed, grabbing Troy's foot. "Stay down, old man!" Troy said as he pulled his foot free and kicked Forge in the face, knocking him out again. He and his henchmen hopped back on their motorcycles and drove off. "The mission went off without a hitch. The item you ordered is in the cart." He said into his com-link.

Turns out, Troy was hired by Dread to steal the case from N-Tek. "Excellent work, Mr. Winter." Dread said.

Later, Forge, Kat, Jefferson and the other agents were picked up in a Hopper and brought back to the base. Alex, Rayne and the Ferrus Quintuplets rushed over as the Hopper landed. Zad and Alex helped Jefferson, Kat and the others out of the Hopper. "What happened?" Vandana asked. "We were blindsided, ambushed and completely outgunned." Forge said. "Too bad you didn't have us along." Xena said. "No. I guess old habits die hard." Forge said. "What'd they take?" Wandella asked. "That's none of your business." Forge said, walking past them. "Okay, your old man definitely has trust issues." Rayne said. "You think?" Vandana asked sarcastically.

Meanwhile, Max and Steel activated one of N-Tek's computers and plugged in the USB. "Finally, we can get some answers to everything we've been asking." Steel said. "Let's hope so, Steel. Now then, let's see what you're trying to hide, Uncle Ferrus." Max said as he worked his magic and downloaded the information he collected from the spaceship.

Meanwhile, Troy and his henchmen returned to their secret base, a compound outside Copper Canyon. As Troy set the case down on a table, Vin and Dwayne cheered at their success. "So, what're you gonna do with your cut?" Vin asked. "As soon as the boss pays up, Vegas, baby!" Dwayne exclaimed happily. "I'm afraid you'll have to wait until the client collects the goods for your 20%." Troy said. "Uh, 20%?" Vin asked. "After all the heavy lifting we did? Forget it!" Dwayne exclaimed. "Of course, we could always renegotiate. You want your fair share? Let's make a deal, gentlemen." Troy said as he opened a secret door in the wall. "Now you're talking." Dwayne said as he and Vin walked into the secret room. But then, Troy slammed the door, locking them in. "Hey! What gives?! Let us out, man!" Dwayne exclaimed. Suddenly, there was a growling noise. Dwayne and Vin turned around to see 2 tigers walking towards them. A black one and a white one. "Maybe we should've just taken the 20%." Vin said in fear as the tigers roared at them. Troy watched the entire thing from his big-screen TV. "Magnificent, aren't they? The good news is they only hunt when they're hungry. Bad news is…they haven't eaten in days." He said. The tigers lunged for Dwayne and Vin.

Troy munched on his chips as he watched the anarchy. "The Law of the Jungle." He said. Suddenly, a car honked outside the compound. As it pulled into the driveway, Naught and another employee exited the car and walks into the compound. "Mr. Naught. I trust you have the money." Troy said. "First, I need to inspect the goods." Naught said. As the employee brought out a scanner, Troy opened the case, allowing him to scan the object. But the scan picked up an error on the item. "No deal. It's not in working condition." Naught said. "And that's my fault how? You wanted it, I got it. No one welches on Troy Winter. Now pay up!" Troy exclaimed as he took the case and drew a knife. Just then, Naught tossed down a communicator and opened contact with Dread. "Mr. Winter, our agreement was for a complete and working item. And this one is neither complete nor working. But that can be rectified." Dread explained. "How?" Troy asked. "I know where you can find the missing component. It will be a simple job. Your team should be able to handle it." Dread explained. "Eh, I'm a little short-handed at the moment." Troy said, gesturing to Dwayne and Vin on the screen. They were hanging from a rafter to avoid being eaten by Troy's tigers. "Don't worry, Mr. Winter. I'll provide you with all the reinforcements you'll need. And my people will guard over the package while you're away." Dread assured as his transmission ended. Troy handed the case to the employee.

Meanwhile, back at N-Tek, the team was trying to find the case via its transponder. Berto brought in his identical twin brother, Alberto or Al for short, for help. "Haven't you 2 located the transponder of that blasted case yet?" Forge asked impatiently. "The hijackers must've disabled it." Berto said. "But we might be able to pick up a trace signal." Al assured. "Perhaps Max and Steel could help. They're pretty good with that kind of stuff." Yeager said. "And where are those 2 anyway?" Forge asked. The team went silent for a moment. They knew that Max and Steel were downloading the information that Max got from the spaceship. "Max…is working on a project for school with Steel helping." Wandella lied. "We'll go look for them right away." Zad said. Forge watched the team suspiciously as they left. "What are you kids hiding?" He asked.

Meanwhile, having successfully downloaded the information, Max and Steel looked through everything they could find. "This is…unbelievable." Max said. "I…I can't believe my optic. To think, all of this…is related to me, an alien." Steel said. Just then, the team walked in the room. "Max, any luck with the information?" Rayne asked. "Take a look." Max said, showing them what he and Steel found. The team was surprised as they looked through each piece of the information. "According to all this information, there are other Ultralinks out there. Billions of them. Almost like me, but of different models." Steel explained. "They all appear to be working under someone named Makino." Max explained. "I don't really know who this Makino is, but I've been getting a feeling that he's related to my past somehow." Steel said. "We also pulled up this image of the cockpit from the ship." Max said, pulling up an image of the Steel-shaped keyhole. "It's the same shape as Steel." Zad said. "Exactly." Max said. "You guys think that it could be like the ship that brought Steel to Earth?" Xena asked. "Maybe. But until we find more information, we keep this between ourselves and anyone else we can trust. We do not tell Forge about any of this." Max said. "I second that. Are we all in agreement?" Steel asked. "Agreed." The team agreed. Max put his hand out and everyone each placed a hand on top, sealing the agreement.

Later, the team returned to Forge as he, Jefferson, Kat, Berto and Al were still trying to trace the case. "Uncle Ferrus, you were looking for me and Steel?" Max asked. "Yes. We need your help with something." Forge said. Suddenly, Molly and Amelia called from THI. "Forge, we need to talk." Molly said. "What is this? An epidemic? Maybe I should open a chat line." Forge groaned.

"We've been trying to clean up the mess Dread left at THI." Amelia started to explain as she pressed a button, which opened a secret vault of unfamiliar technology. "And we found this." She finished, showing the vault. "Whoa! Look at all that tech." Max said in awe. "It's a lot of technology we've never seen before. But some of it looks familiar." Molly said as she inspected one of the pieces. "Maybe. Or something worse." Forge said. Max, Steel and the team looked at each other, knowing what that something worse could possibly be. Suddenly, there was an explosion. "What was that?!" Forge asked. "Some kind of explosion!" Molly exclaimed. Amelia brought up the security feed and saw Troy and an army of Dreadnaughts attacking THI. "We're under attack! It's-" Molly tried to say, but the video-call turned to static. "Mom! Aunt Amelia!" Max cried with worry.

"Re-establish that uplink." Forge ordered. Berto and Al tried to restore the uplink, but there was no response. "There's no response." Berto said. "The transmission's been cut completely." Al said. "Well, we're not waiting around here while my mom and aunt are in trouble." Max said. "Neither are we." Wandella said. "Go Turbo Flight!" Max called as Steel linked up with him, transforming into Flight mode before taking off. The Ferrus Quintuplets, Alex and Rayne transformed into their hero forms and followed. "Let's move, people!" Forge ordered. "Is C.Y.T.R.O. up and running?" Al asked. "He's already met up with the others and following." Berto said. As Max and his team flew out of the base, N-Tek hopped into a new convoy of R.O.C.C.s and rolled out of the base, heading towards the city.

Meanwhile, as Troy and a couple of Dreadnaughts headed towards the office, Molly and Amelia sealed the door. "Not good." Molly said. "We're gonna need some better protection." Amelia said. Molly pushed the button under her desk as she and Amelia sat down in their chairs, and entered the secret room where they now had their ninja suits displayed. Troy tried to access the office, but the control pad locked him out. In impatience, he smashed the control pad, opening the doors. "You 2 stand guard while I search the office." He ordered. The Dreadnaughts stood guard as he entered the office. As he walked in, he spotted the open vault. As he approached it, Molly and Amelia, dressed in their ninja suits, prepared to strike. "Well, here we are. Now, let's see what's on the shopping list." He said as he opened up a list of tech pieces Dread ordered. As he looked through the list, he looked at the vault and spotted the exact items. "Check." Just then, he heard a noise. He turned around and started blasting. Turns out, it was only an office chair, much to his confusion. Just then, Molly and Amelia snagged his arms with their sword-whips. They flipped over him and wrapped their whips around his body. "Sorry. We're closed for business." Molly said. But then, Troy hit them in the head with his shoulders, freeing himself, and wrapped their own whips around them. "You got some spunk, don't you, darlings?" He asked, flirting. Molly and Amelia broke free and grabbed him. "Don't call us darlings! We're married!" Amelia exclaimed. They flipped him over onto his back. But he recovered and drew his knife. Molly and Amelia gasped before turning their whips back into swords.

Meanwhile, Max and his team arrived at THI and ran inside. But then they were greeted by the Dreadnaught army. "Uh-oh." Alex said. The Dreadnaughts started firing at them, but the Mana Quints conjured their mana shields and blocked the laser fire. "Looks like someone brought some muscle." Steel said. "So did we." Max said. "Go Turbo Strength!" Steel linked up with him and transformed into Strength Mode. He leapt over his cousins' mana shields and landed hard on one of the Dreadnaughts. The Dreadnaughts fired at Max, but their laser fire couldn't get through his Steel Suit's amped up armor. Max walked up to the Dreadnaught up front and threw it into the wall. "Come on, guys. Let's give Max a hand." Zad said. "Good call, little bro." Xena said. The Mana Quints dropped their mana shields and prepared to fight. "Make some room. I'm about to go bananas." Alex said as a red gorilla image appeared and disappeared into his body. "Let's get them!" Rayne exclaimed. The team charged towards the Dreadnaughts and started to attack them.

Meanwhile, Molly and Amelia continued fighting against Troy. As they clashed blades, Molly and Amelia punched and kicked Troy, but he also managed to push them back. Molly flipped onto her desk, kicking Troy in the chin. As Amelia was about to slash him, Troy swept her leg, knocking her down. He prepared to stomp on her, but she managed to move out of the way. "You 2 got moves. I like that." He said. He tried to slash them, but they flipped onto the table and kicked his head into it before leaping back for their swords. Troy tossed a keyboard at them, but Molly slashed it in half. But Troy moved in and faked her out by punching her, knocking her down. "Molly!" Amelia cried. Troy ran for the vault, but Amelia grabbed his ankles with her mana whip and tripped him. She leapt up with her sword, preparing to finish him. But Troy dodged the attack and kneed her in the stomach, sending her into the office chair, knocking her out. "We'll have to dance again sometime. But right now, I gotta fly." He said. After he took the item from the vault, he grabbed his blaster and blasted the window. Molly recovered and tried to grab him with her whip, but he leapt out the window, landed on a nearby rooftop and took off across them.

As Molly helped Amelia recover, they drew back their helmets and watched Troy retreat as N-Tek arrived. "Mom! Aunt Amelia!" Max cried as he and the team ran in the office. Molly and Amelia embraced them. "Thank goodness. You're both okay." Vandana said with relief. "Ow. Not so hard." Molly said, feeling the embrace get a little tight. "What happened?" Rayne asked. "It was a grab-and-go. He flew off that way. You gotta stop him." Amelia explained. "C.Y.T.R.O., you got a lock on his position?" Max asked. "Affirmative. The suspect is heading south in the streets." C.Y.T.R.O. said. "Then let's move out. Go Turbo Flight!" Max called as Steel liked up with him, morphing to Flight Mode and taking off with the team following. Forge exited the R.O.C.C. as he watched the team fly off.

"Okay, what're we looking for here, Max?" Zad asked. "That. He's in the streets." Max said, spotting Troy as he hopped on his motorcycle and drove off. "Whoa. That guy's got a sweet set of wheels." Xena said. "Yeah. Almost a shame we'll have to ding it up." Wandella said, pounding her fist. They flew after Troy as he drove through the streets. "And so, the hunter becomes the hunted." He said. "Phantom, Fury, get in front of him." Max said. "On it, Max." Yeager said. He and Wandella flew ahead of Troy and prepared to take him out. "Not for long." He said as he pressed a button on his motorcycle's handle and fired an electric net. Wandella and Yeager were caught in it and trapped between it and the pavement. As Troy drove away, Max and the team grouped up around Yeager and Wandella. "You 2 alright?" Zad asked. "I'm fine." Yeager said. "I've been through worse." Wandella said. "This netting's equipped with highly concentrated electrons. It's really dangerous to touch." Max said. "Not for me. I know what to do." Rayne said. She knelt down, touched the net and started absorbing the electricity into herself, draining it. "Nice work, Rayne." Max said. "What do we do now? That guy's getting away." Alex asked as he and Vandana helped Yeager and Wandella up. "Not if I can help it." Steel said, connecting with the Turbo Cycle and calling it to them. "He called the Turbo Cycle? Nice." Alex said. "And I even called for support." Steel said. As the Turbo Cycle came into view, 7 other motorcycles in different colors and patterns approached. "Are those…" Vandana started to ask. "Motorcycles I made just for you guys." Max said as he boarded the Turbo Cycle. The team hopped on their own motorcycles. After Steel linked up with the Turbo Cycle, the team drove off after Troy with C.Y.T.R.O. following in the air.

"He went that way!" Steel said, pinpointing Troy's position. "Let's go!" Max called. As they turned down an alley, a truck was driving towards them. "LOOK OUT!" Xena cried. "Chill, cous. Head for the wall." Max said. He drove the Turbo Cycle on the wall and around the truck. The others followed his lead while C.Y.T.R.O. flew over the truck. "Whoa! Nice one, Max!" Vandana cheered. They caught up with Troy back on the streets. As he noticed them, he pressed another button and started firing grenades from his motorcycle's rear. "Not this time." Max said. The team all started dodging the grenades as they blew up in the street. "These guys don't give up!" Troy exclaimed. Just then, Dread contacted him. "You have the part?" He asked. "Yeah. But there's a group of teens and a big robot on my tail and I can't shake them." Troy said. "Ah, Max Steel and his little band of friends. Additional reinforcements are on the way." Dread said as he ended the call. Troy looked back, only to find that Max and his team were gone. "Where'd they go?" He asked before revving the gas. Just then, Max and his team, who were driving on the city rooftops, leapt down in front of Troy to cut him off. "Game over." Max said. Just then, as Troy skidded to a stop, the street started crumbling. "Funny. I was about to say the same thing." He said. As a dust cloud formed in front of the team as Fire and Earth Elementors appeared in between them and Troy. "Ah. Fire and Earth Elementors. What brings you guys to the party?" Max asked rhetorically as the 2 Elementors chuckled evilly.

"I'd love to stay, but I have a previous engagement. Ciao!" Troy said as he drove off. "Don't let them link up!" Ferno exclaimed as he unleashed a wave of fire, sending it towards Max. "Look out, Max!" Vandana exclaimed as she leapt in front of the fire and blocked it with her mana shield. "So, these are Fire and Earth Elementors? I've heard a lot about you 2. But guess what? After taking on your watery brother, I'm not impressed." Alex said as a red elephant image appeared over him and disappeared into his body. As Ferno charged, Granius burrowed into the street and reappeared in front of the team. He slashed at them with his rocky claws, but Alex blocked him with his elephant strength. Xena and Yeager flew towards Ferno and started firing their mana blasts at him. Ferno dodged the blasts and threw fireballs at the 2 Mana Quints. But Xena and Yeager blocked them with their mana shields. Just then, C.Y.T.R.O. flew up and blasted a nearby streetlamp, causing it to fall on Ferno. But he wasn't even hurt by it and threw it off. With him distracted, Xena and Yeager combined their mana beams and blasted Ferno, knocking him down. Alex used his elephant strength and slammed Granius into the street. But then Ferno quickly recovered and threw another fireball at him. But Wandella leapt in front of Alex and blocked the fireball with her mana shield. Zad conjured a mana bow and started firing mana arrows at Granius, aided by Rayne's lightning bolts and C.Y.T.R.O.'s blasts. But Granius endured the attacks, geokinetically raised a bunch of boulders and fired them at the 3. Zad and Rayne dodged the boulders, but C.Y.T.R.O. got hit by one and sent flying backwards. "C.Y.T.R.O.!" Rayne cried.

Max and Steel hid behind a building while preparing to engage Ferno. "You ready, partner?" Max asked. "Always, partner." Steel said. Max and Steel charged towards Ferno as they prepared to Go Turbo. "Go Turb-" But they were interrupted when Max suddenly got trapped in an earth mound. "Max!" Wandella cried. "We're coming, buddy!" Alex exclaimed. But as the team rushed to help Max, they were caught in earth mounds too. Steel tried to free them, but Granius knocked him aside. "Any last words?" Ferno asked mockingly. The team struggled to free themselves.

Meanwhile, Troy returned to his compound as Naught and his employee were waiting by their car with the case. "Any problems?" Naught asked. "Nothing I couldn't handle." Troy said as he handed the piece to the employee, who then took it to the case. He opened the case and held the piece over whatever was inside it. Just then, the thing inside began to power up and fired an orange energy beam into the sky.

Fortunately, the transponder's signal was also located back at N-Tek. "Alert Forge! We've located the transponder!" Berto exclaimed. The N-Tek soldier rushed off to break the news to Forge.

Troy and Naught watched the raw power reach for the sky. "It works! Can you imagine such raw power?" Naught asked as he walked back to the car. "I can almost…feel it." Troy said, feeling the device's power. "With this, we're that much closer to complete and total domination." Naught said. "Not so fast. If this is as powerful as you say it is, then maybe I shouldn't sell it." Troy said. "We had a deal, Mr. Winter!" Naught exclaimed. "Honor among thieves." Troy said. "Believe me. You do not want to cross Miles Dread. Take my advice. Take the money." Naught warned, throwing a case full of money at Troy's feet. "I'll take my chances instead." Troy said. He pulled out a cattle prod and zapped Naught with it, making him drop the case and knocking him out. "Beat it! And leave the money." He said. The employee put Naught in the car and got in before driving away. Troy picked up the case and opened it. "Now you're mine. All mine." He said with an evil grin.

Meanwhile, Max and his team were still struggling to escape Granius' earth mounds. "You can't escape." Ferno said. Suddenly, a jet of water hit him, knocking him down. Everyone was shocked by what they saw. They turned to see a woman dressed in a blue ninja outfit walking towards them. "Release them at once." She demanded. "You don't command us, filthy human!" Granius exclaimed, throwing a big boulder at the woman. But before it could hit her, it suddenly stopped in midair. "What?!" Granius asked in shock. Just then, a man dressed in a green ninja outfit floated down to the street on a rock platform, holding his arm out. He motioned his arm and geokinetically tossed Granius' boulder aside. Just then, another man in a white ninja outfit flew down on a gust of wind. And then another woman in a red ninja outfit surfed down on a stream of fire. Max and his team were in awe at what they were seeing. "We will not ask again. Release our Avatar and his friends." The blue ninja demanded. "Avatar?" Max said in confusion. "Like my brother said, we do not take orders from weak humans like you." Ferno said as he recovered. "Very well. Then let's show them what these 'weak' humans can do." The blue ninja said. The ninjas took their stance. Ferno just cackled as he fired a flamethrower. But the green ninja blocked the attack by motioning his hands and creating a rock wall. "Whoa." Max said in amazement. Granius geokinetically threw dozens of boulders. But the white ninja motioned his hands, creating a strong gust of wind, and blew the boulders right back at Granius, knocking him down. "Wow. These guys are good." Xena said. Ferno threw a fireball, but the blue ninja motioned her hands and created a wall of water, blocking and dousing the fireball. She motioned her hands again and sent the water wall towards Ferno, knocking him down and dousing him. "Ooh, sweet move." Rayne said. "Foolish humans! You may be strong with the elements, but we are stronger!" Granius exclaimed, slamming his fists into the street, causing it to crack in between the ninjas. He motioned his arm and raised two ends of the street in between the ninjas. He gripped his hand, preparing to crush the ninjas with the street ends. But then, the green ninja motioned his arms and stopped the streets from crushing him and his friends. "Target the orbs on their heads!" Max called. Understood, the red ninja leapt at Ferno and grabbed the orb on his head. "Get off of me!" Ferno exclaimed. "After this." The red ninja said. Just then, she started absorbing Ferno's fire inside of herself and draining it out of him until he was as plain as a briquette. "This is not over!" Granius exclaimed as he dug back underground and escaped.

The ninjas approached the still trapped Max and his team. The green ninja motioned his hand and freed them from Granius' mound trap. "Thanks for your help." Max thanked them. "Yeah. Those were some wicked moves." Rayne said. "Yeah. You totally owned Fire Elementor." Wandella said. "We do what we can to help our chosen one." The blue ninja said. "Chosen one?" Alex asked. "Yes. Maxwell McGrath, we believe that you are the reincarnation of our long-lost protector. The Avatar." The red ninja said. Max was now really confused as this was the second time he was called that, and he was a bit shocked that they knew his true identity. But before he could ask, N-Tek arrived in their R.O.C.C.s. Forge, Jefferson and Kat exited and spotted the ninjas with Max and his team. "Enemy threat! On your knees now!" Forge ordered as he, Jefferson and Kat readied their weapons. "Until we meet again, Avatar." The blue ninja said. Just then, she slammed a smoke pellet into the street and disappeared with her fellow ninjas in a veil of smoke. Forge, Jefferson and Kat were shocked by this. But Forge shook it off and turned his attention to Ferno, who was groaning from being drained. "Restrain and load up that Elementor." Jefferson and 2 other agents trapped Ferno in an energy net and loaded him into one of the R.O.C.C.s. Max, Steel and their team kept eyeing the orb in Ferno's head. It was just like the one Water Elementor has. "Alright. Berto and Al got a beat on the transponder. We know where the package is. Let's move!" Forge ordered.

Meanwhile, as Troy brought the device back inside his compound, he wondered how it was to be used. "Let's see. I wonder how you use this thing." He said. Just then, he received another message from Dread. "Mr. Winter, if you're seeing this recording, it means you have betrayed me and therefore, are about to pay the ultimate price." Dread explained. "NO!" Troy exclaimed. But then, the device exploded and appeared to have killed him. "Goodbye, Mr. Winter." Dread said.

Later, N-Tek arrived at Troy's compound. They broke down the door and saw that the entire place was completely scorched from the explosion. And the case was empty. "We're too late, chief. The case is empty." Jefferson said. "Spread out and search the grounds. Maybe it's still here." Forge said. Max, Steel and their team looked at each other. "What exactly are we looking for?" Steel asked. Max walked up and looked at the empty case. "Just what I thought." He said. Everyone looked at a familiar shape in the case. "Another Ultralink!" Yeager said in shock. "That's gotta be what they took from the ship." Rayne said. "Until it was taken from them." Zad said. Max and Steel looked at each other and nodded. Forge met up with Jefferson and Kat outside. "Sorry, chief. There's no sign of it or the owner of this place. Some character named Troy Winter." Jefferson said. "Then let's not waste any more time here. We gotta find out what Dread is up to. We've gotta find this guy Winter." Forge said.

Unknown to them, Troy, having survived the explosion, was watching them from his secret room. But during the explosion, the Ultralink became embedded inside his chest, mutating him. His teeth and his left arm became crystalized like his high-tech knives. He smashed the screen he was watching his visitors with his newly mutated crystalized hand. "Troy Winter is no more! Now there is only…Extroyer!" He exclaimed, embracing a new identity.

Later, after returning to N-Tek, Max and his team looked further into the information they collected from the ship. "Max, you find anything else on this Makino yet?" Xena asked. "It says here that Makino is not only the leader of the Ultralinks. He created their entire race." Max revealed. "Which means he also created me." Steel said. The team was in awe. "Makino leads his Ultralink forces across numerous galaxies, looking for any planet to devour and make into numerous homes for his growing empire." Max read. The team became horrified by this. Even C.Y.T.R.O. felt a shiver in his circuits. "So, this is what Dad's been trying to hide from us." Vandana said. "He thinks that we won't be ready if Makino sets his sights on Earth." Xena said. "But we will be ready. No matter what Dread, this Makino, or any other villain in Copper Canyon will try, we'll always be ready." Max said. The team nodded.

Meanwhile, the 4 ninjas had returned to their secret temple base and reported back to their master. "You have found him?" The master asked. "Yes, master. We intervened and rescued him and his team from the 2 Elementors of fire and earth." The blue ninja said. "Good work. Soon, it will be time for him to embrace his past if he and his friends are to save our world." The master said.

Well, how'd you like our little surprise? Max Steel and his team investigate a downed alien cruiser in the Arctic, similar to the one Water Elementor was trying to build. Max managed to download information on a USB while N-Tek seized the Ultralink inside. But a rogue thief named Troy Winter ambushed them and stole the Ultralink for Dread. But since the Ultralink was damaged, Troy broke into THI and stole the one part needed to fix it. Max and his team tried to pursue him, but they got ambushed by Fire and Earth Elementors. But a quartet of ninjas with their own elemental powers rescued the team. And as Troy tried to double-cross Dread, the Ultralink self-destructed and attempted to kill him. But he survived and transformed into a new villain named Extroyer.

Meanwhile, Max, Steel and their team uploaded the information they collected from the ship and slowly started learning about the leader of the Ultralinks himself…Makino. Will the team learn more about Makino? Can they keep what they learned a secret from Forge? Will they ever see those ninjas again? Leave a review if you'd like.